05 May, 2015

Dustin' Off - Star Wars: Battlefront II

By
Kyle Shimmin

We continue to gun down Ewoks in the dozens as we swoop into
the hangar of Star Wars: Battlefront II, the title that many point to as the
defining game in the series. Battlefront II introduced space into the gameplay
mix, playable heroes, and featured a more flavoursome campaign than its
predecessor.

Star Wars: Battlefront II

While the first Battlefront retells battles from the movies,
Episodes I, II, IV, V, and VI, Battlefront II is largely focused on the events
of Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, that was being released on DVD around the
time the game launched. The campaign tells the story of the 501st
Legion, an Elite force of Fett Clones who just happen to be present during
pretty much every pivotal conflict in both, the Clone Wars and the later Galactic
Civil War. Having the events of the two wars told from the perspective of a soldier
who fought in them is a neat angle, but what really makes the Battlefront II
campaign stand out is the more unique missions.

Battlefront II’s missions feel a lot more diverse than those
of Battlefront (I), boasting more varied objectives that better suit the
narrative. For me, the standout missions are those centered around the
transition of the Republic into the Empire, kicking off with Operation:
Knightfall. During the Knightfall mission, the 501st breaches the
Jedi temple on Coruscant; it is a slaughter. As combatants Jedi operate quite
differently than the usual Droid fodder, they are fast, melee focused
characters that are able to deflect blaster fire, though not quite as well as
the heroes from the first Battlefront admittedly. Battles like the clone
uprising on Kamino and the attack on the Palace of Naboo also occur around this
point in the timeline, and are more interesting from a storytelling perspective,
because the events simply aren’t explored in the movies, nor other games.

The gameplay of Battlefront II is an iterative step over the
original, the classes remain largely the same with one more added to each
faction; the Clone Commander, MangaGuard, Imperial Officer, and Bothan Spy.
These soldiers offer perhaps the most divergent abilities, for example; the
Clone Commander can rally nearby soldiers, while the Bothan Spy can activate a
personal cloaking field. The sprint (and stamina meter) is a hugely welcome
addition, makingbattlefield traversal much
faster. The heroes and villains that were present as non-playable characters in
the original, are made playable in II, effectively becoming lightsaber-wielding
killstreak rewards. Though there are non-force using characters like Jango
Fett, and his infamous son Boba.

Space battles are perhaps the biggest feature to be added to
the Battlefront formula in II. Rather than capturing bases, two capital ships
face off above a planet, it’s the job of the pilots and marines to target and
destroy the hardpoints and critical systems on the opposing forces’ ship.
Dogfights between the fighters and the more nimble interceptors litter the void
between the two ships as bombers try to bring their payload to bear against the
enemy hulls. I enjoy the novelty of these fights, but there are no meaningful
differences between the half a dozen space maps. Because its space. This usually
leads me to boarding the enemy ship; flying into the enemy hangar with a marine-filled
gunship and wreaking havoc from the inside instead.

In addition to space battles, Battlefront offers several gamemodes,
some more adventurous than others. These include the rather mundane Capture The
Flag (1 and 2 flag), a Hero only mode, and the asymmetric Hunt mode, that sees indigenous
creatures, like Wampas, square off against the human interlopers. Unfortunately,
only PC players can experience the XL mode, which hugely boosts the number of
combatants in the field, though this is only playable on the larger maps;
Geonosis, Hoth, and Kashyyyk.

Battlefront II did away with the two-maps per planet
approach and instead supplies a greater selection of planets, many of those
that appeared in Episode III, including; Felucia, Mygeeto, and Utapau. However,
a sizeable number of the maps are reused from the original game, though these are
the maps more closely linked to the other movies, like Endor and Hoth. Sadly the
vaunted ice caves of Rhen Var never made the cut.

Star Wars: Battlefront II holds up better than Battlefront
certainly, and not just graphically, though the 16:9 aspect ratio is
appreciated and the game still looks pretty sharp. The gameplay complexity of
II is more engaging; simply having sprint is a bigger deal than one might first
think. Space battles, while easily the most repetitive part of the game are a
lot of fun, and the other gamemodes can at least provide a distraction from the
repetition.